First published: Global, the international briefing, 01/01/2014
China is set to overtake the USA as the world’s biggest economy in the next few years. But growth has begun to slow, so the government will have to find a new economic focus in order for the economy to keep expanding
In less than half of a lifetime for most people, China has exploded out of poverty to take its place at the heart of the global economic system, become the world’s second largest economy and its biggest export nation – and emerged as a geopolitical rival to the USA. The speed of this transformation is unprecedented. Many believe that a rising China, juxtaposed against the alleged decline of the West, will spread its economic and political influence around the world. Some even think the wheels of history are turning full circle as a Sino-centric world re-emerges for the first time since the 18th century. But there is also much hyperbole behind these simplistic assertions. China’s ability to shape the world depends in large measure on how it shapes itself….“more:”
